Facebook is at it again! Constantly evolving and adding in new features, some we love and some we could do without. While previously limited to changing the “background style”, the newest addition, teased earlier in February of this year, brings us; Text Formatting. Currently exclusive to Facebook Groups, you can now format your text within your post.
Options include:
- H1 – Header Text Style 1
- H2 – Header Text Style 2
- Bulleted List
- Numbered List
- Quote Block
Additionally, highlight your text to reveal options to bold or italicize your text!
What does this mean for you? Why is this important?
TL;DR – Have you seen this paired with posts, comments or meme’s? Have you wondered what “TL;DR” means? The answer is, “Too Long; Didn’t Read”. Simply put, your post was too long and your reader didn’t read. Often times this means they read the first sentence or if you are lucky, two. Or your reader saw a paragraph and immediately determined it was too long and they did not read.
Text formatting is a standard in almost every other text heavy media. Consider legal documents, menus, books, newspapers, the list goes on!
Facebook posts are getting longer and longer and readers are skimming more and more of the content on this platform. If used correctly, text formatting can help your reader understand quickly, whether or not that content is pertinent, or interesting to them. As stated at Quora.com,
Formatting makes the document readable and comprehensible to the person reading it. Points are laid out clearly and consistently. If they are not, either the reader will misinterpret the meaning of the document, or stop reading it altogether.
It is a bit like using correct spelling and grammar. If you want to communicate a thought, make it understandable in the simplest way possible.